Our People

Estelle has been our administrator since 2017 and is now part of the Northwood family (even though she doesn’t live locally). She is married to Darren and has two children, Amy and Zach

She is always cheerful and will go out of her way to help members with enquiries about membership, organising life events, shul events, yahrzeits, kiddushim or just about anything else to do with the shul.

office@nrus.org.uk

Rabbi Shaya and Rebbetzin Leah Green have been the rabbinical couple in Northwood, since July 2023.

Rabbi Green, originally from Liverpool, Green left home at 18 to study in a range of Yeshivot in Brooklyn, NY, obtaining his semicha (Rabbinical Ordination) in Flatbush. Since returning to England he has worked with Chabad and most recently led their North Harrow branch, covering Harrow, Pinner, Ruislip & Northwood. He and Leah are passionate about getting every member of the synagogue involved in the synagogue services, social events and showcasing what NRUS has to offer to the wider Northwood & Ruislip community.

Together they have 6 boys – Yehudah, Chaim, Mendel, Shmuel, Zalman and baby Noson – and one girl, Rochel. Besides being a dad, the Rabbi is an avid reader and collector of all manner of books and curates the shul Library but will always make time for members of the community, their problems, questions, life events and any area where they seek spiritual or religious help.

rabbigreen@nrus.org.uk

Rabbi Shaya and Rebbetzin Leah Green have been the rabbinical couple in Northwood, since July 2023. Leah was born and raised in London where she attended the Lubavitch Girls School in Stamford Hill. After attending seminary in Tzfat, Israel, Leah spent a year working for Chabad in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She then returned home to London to study.

Since returning to England she and Rabbi Green led Chabad’s North Harrow branch, covering Harrow, Pinner, Ruislip & Northwood. She and Rabbi Green are passionate about getting every member of the synagogue involved in the synagogue services, social events and showcasing what NRUS has to offer to the wider Northwood & Ruislip community.

Together they have 5 boys – Yehudah, Chaim, Mendel, Shmuel and Zalman – and one girl, Rochel. Besides being a mum of 6 and a great cook, the Rebbetzin is committed to our environment and is a member of the shul’s Eco Team. She will however always make time to help members of the community, offering advice or practical help in any way she can.

rebbetzengreen@nrus.org.uk

Carla is our welfare officer – she can help provide support with family matters, health concerns, support with benefits, bereavement and much more. She is a professional member of staff and everything is treated with the utmost confidentiality.

Carla joined the Synagogue as our Community Care Co-Ordinator, having previously worked for over 25 years in Health & Social Care. The companies and organisations have included Spire Hospitals, Jewish Care and Signature Care Homes and as an independent consultant in the care home sector. She believes that strong communities are built on care, connection and compassion and helping members whenever they need it.

Carla currently lives with her husband Clive in Bushey Heath with their fur baby Barney Trouble. This 6-year-old Pekinese/Asian sheep dog is infamous throughout Bushey for having the loudest bark and a love of viennas.

Contact Carla…

Matthew joined NRUS in the spring of 2026 from Northwood College school and is already hugely popular with our members. Nothing is too much trouble for Matt and he always wears a big smile while fulfilling his duties around the shul.

Paul has been a member of the shul for many years and takes an active role in services, being an established regular in the community leyning team and regular reader of haftorot. For the past year he has been deputy warden under Anthony Robinson and has now stepped up into the senior warden role.

Outside of shul, Paul runs a niche management consultancy practice in the retail sector in which he has worked for many years. He is an active triathlete who trains every day and recently completed an iron man event. He and his wife Andrea have recently become grandparents for the first time.

wardens@nrus.org.uk

Robert has played a part in our community since he was a child and has grown in stature as our Shammas. He works industriously behind the scenes to make sure the shul is ready for services, laying out prayer books and the wine for kiddush. At the end of Shabbat service he can be found helping the security team by ushering people out and imploring them not to linger.

When not at shul Robert lovingly cares for his parents Marilyn & Henry at home and is a fond uncle to many nieces and nephews. When he gets the chance he dons his black, gold and red scarf to cheer on his team, ‘the Hornets’, Watford FC.

shammus@nrus.org.uk

Here’s an interview with Robert conducted by Rabbi Zebib during the Covid 19 pandemic

Yvonne has been a member of the shul since moving to London in 2002.  After jointly developing and managing Northwood Network with Michele Massing for thirteen years, she moved over to her current financial role.

Yvonne graduated with a Bachelor of Science and went on to study an MBA.  She worked in retail banking in South Africa an internal management consulting role, before immigrating to the UK with her husband Garth.  She is mother to two gorgeous  daughters, Gilah and Daliah and manages Garth’s medical practice. In her spare time she enjoys golf, gym and socialising with friends.

Alan has been involved in the community from day one and has been Chair of the community for a number of  years.

He was a partner in one of the largest investment managers and financial advisors before retiring. He is married to Judy, has 4 daughters and 10 grandchildren.

chair@northwoodus.org

Richard has been a member of the community for over 20 years and joined the synagogue council in 2023. Working with our Rabbi, Richard takes responsibility for organising Jewish themed events. He has now also taken on the role of deputy warden.

He is an actuary and has worked in the life assurance industry for his whole career. He is married to Lisa and they have 2 sons.

Andrew has been a member of the shul for many years and takes an active role in services, being the co-ordinator of the community leyning team and regular reader of haftorot.

Outside of shul, Andrew is a consultant cardiac surgeon in the NHS and is married to Sally with four adult sons. His pastimes include…

wardens@nrus.org.uk

Stephanie’s enduring connection to first Pinner and then Northwood Synagogue spans over 50 years, reflecting her commitment to community and faith. Her passion lies in alleviating loneliness, and she actively seeks ways to support and uplift those who may feel isolated. Through her life’s journey, she has found purpose in fostering connections and making a positive impact on those around her. She truly believes that our synagogue plays a dual role both in our religious life but also in our social interaction.

In her home life she is surrounded by a large, loving extended family, 5 strong women, 5 useful sons in law and 11 grandchildren

Lester has only been at NUS since 2017 but is a regular participant in shul services and events. He has been on the Council since 2021 responsible for the website and communications and also chairs the Eco Team, following his passion for nature and the environment. He has now also taken on the role of deputy warden and co-ordinates the weekday minyan rota.

Still a working man. Lester trained as a surveyor and has worked in real estate since age 18. He runs a niche property consultancy and is also the founder of  a tech start-up business in out of home advertising.

Proud of his south London roots, Lester is a keen follower of Arsenal (from Woolwich originally), and when not working loves cricket film and theatre. He is a keen cyclist and likes to get away skiing when possible. He is father to 3 young adults and is married to Jenny.

Contact Lester

David is responsible for maintenance of the synagogue buildings and gardens

Pauline has been a member of our shul since its inception over 25 years ago. During that time she has been a member of the Ladies Guild when she organised outings to popular places in and around London and was part of the shabbat kiddush rota. More recently she has been involved with Northwood Network and, together with Lena Marx, has arranged our popular monthly community teas for several years now. In January 2023 Pauline and Lena’s work was recognised in an award for volunteering from the JVN – Jewish Volunteering Network. Pauline keeps in contact throughout the year with congregants who may need some assistance or just a sympathetic ear.

On leaving secretarial college Pauline started her career as legal secretary before going to Israel to work as a volunteer in 1967 during the 6 day war. On her return she worked as a secretary for a partner in a large West End property company. Pauline and her husband Brian, have been married for 50 years, and celebrated their Golden Wedding last April. They have 2 sons and 5 grandchildren.

Judith grew up in Ruislip where her parents were very involved in the Shul from its early days. It was from them that she learnt the importance of communal work and being involved with shul activities.  Judith is excited to help us realise the enhanced opportunities that the merged shuls will bring and has taken on the role of liaison with our neighbouring communities.

Judith was Chairman of Ruislip Wizo for several years.  She was also a Trustee and the Chair of the Fundraising Committee for Raphael – The Jewish Counselling Service. Her working life was in advertising for a large international fashion chain.  Her role involved the art directing of fashion shoots and organising fashion shows.  After taking early retirement, Judith worked for The Anne Frank Trust as an event coordinator for their annual Holocaust Memorial Day lunch. She enjoys the theatre, walking, the gym and travelling.

Andrea takes on the role of lead co-ordinator of our kiddushim and catering.

Menahem is the shul health & safety officer and is our representative on the United Synagogue Council. He was the chair of Ruislip Synagogue for 12 years, till 2022. During that time the synagogue negotiated terms that enabled it to become a full member of the US, after 70 years as an Affiliate. It was also the first US shul to gain a silver award for eco improvements

He was born in Israel and moved to UK at the age of 16. He graduated here in Aeronautics, followed by an MBA. He spent most of his working life in R&D management, but after reaching retirement age, became the training manager for a manufacturer of heating, cooling and ventilation systems. Menahem is married to Helene, and has two children, 3 grandchildren and two great grandchildren. His hobbies include sailing.

Kim has been an active member of the community and served on the Board over several terms including a period as Vice Chair. He has served on various committees and chaired the Shul reopening committee after the Covid lockdown. He is a keen environmentalist and is an active member of the Eco Team. Kim is the Board of Deputies representative and was elected to its Defence Division, combating antisemitism in the UK. 

Kim and his wife Geraldine were founder members of this Synagogue. His 40-year career was in global companies and he was seconded to Whitehall for two years as a ministerial commercial advisor. This prepared him for the ultimate challenge of keeping up with three active grandchildren! He enjoys reading, cycling and photography and has a long-standing interest in the City of Bath.

Sue, and her husband, Howard have been members of NUS for 35 years. Their daughter, Natasha was the first baby to have a blessing in the newly formed community. Sue works on the Synagogue Mitzvah Day project, and has been helping to growing vegetables for a local food bank. She also works to encourage more members of the community to get involved with the various activities we have going on.

Having recently retired from working full time, Sue now has time to follow her interests, which include; art classes and  gardening. She also volunteers for various charities, including running holocaust education programmes in schools and is a qualified Mental Health First Aid trainer.